A New Output Current Measurement Method With Tiny PCB Sensors Capable of Being Embedded in an IGBT Module

This paper proposes a new output current measuring method using tiny printed-circuit-board (PCB) current sensors. The method will make it possible to install the PCB current sensors in an insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) module. The PCB sensor picks up a switching current flowing through an IGBT chip, and then a combination of a digital circuit based on field-programmable gate array and an integrator circuit reproduces the output current of an inverter from the switching current. A proof-of-concept experimental verification is carried out using a buck converter, which verifies that the proposed method detects a dc component of the output current as well as a ripple component although the PCB sensor is based on the so-called Rogowski coil.